Zutara Week
by Arein
Summary: A group of short stories that are my submissions for the ever exciting Zutara Week!
1. Denim

As many people in the Avatar universe know by now, it is Zutara Week (If you didn't know go to Google and search for Zutara Week

As many people in the Avatar universe know by now, it is Zutara Week (If you didn't know go to Google and search for Zutara Week.) To make a long story short, this is a week when we, Zutarians, will be out in full force submitting pieces (be they stories, fanart, or AMVs) to honor the awesomeness that is Zutara. Here's mine for Day One (yes I know that it's late)

Disclaimer: I own nothing not even the prompt. So don't even go.

Denim

'Katara was looking good today,' Zuko decided as he gazed across the lunch table at his best friend Sokka's little sister and his long time crush, 'There's something different about her though. But what?'

He quickly went through his mental checklist:

'Nope, she didn't get a new hair cut.'

'I've seen that shirt before and that skirt seems familiar too.'

He swiftly finished the rest of his checklist, coming up with a negative for each one. Everything from her bracelets and necklace to her combat boots was the same.

Eventually he was snapped out of his reprieve by a firm poke to the arm, "Zuko, are you okay? You've been spaced out for like five minutes now."

He nodded as his eyes returned to her face and in half a moment knew what was different about her. She had swapped her glasses for a pair of contacts so now he had, for the first time since they'd met in Pre-K, an unobstructed view of her eyes. And he knew that even if he lived to be 112, he would never see a more beautiful shade of denim.


	2. Electrifying

Here's my submission for Day Two

Here's my submission for Day Two. I stretched the rules a bit and used the word Electric instead but I don't suppose that matters. I was also inspired by the song _She's Electric_ by Oasis.

Disclaimer: If you think I own anything but the storyline (if that) you're crazier than King Bumi.

Electrifying

There's a girl in our group who I'm not sure what to make of. She comes from a family who all like each other, which to me seems eccentric. But then my family isn't exactly going to win any prizes for sanity. She's done things that I would have never expected like leaving her home to go save the world.

There's another girl in our group who she treats like a little sister. Angi knows where I'd be without Toph. Her cracks and wisdom are sometimes all the gets me through the day.

She's also got a brother that I don't always get along with. But since our adventure at Boiling Rock, a lot of that hostility has gone away. Her father has valued my opinion, though, from the word go. And though I'll never meet her mother, I know mine would love this girl.

I suppose know what I feel about her now but I need more time before I tell her. In the meantime, though, there's lots and lots for us to see and to do. And one thing is for certain: She's electric. I wonder if I can be electric too.


	3. Smug

Smug

Smug

Katara was seven, playing with her friends and brother, when the idea was first brought up:

"You're gonna marry Zuko," said a five year old Toph in a sing-a-song voice.

A disgruntled Katara replied, "I am NOT!" And to prove her point, shoved a nine year old Zuko in a mud puddle. Zuko, for his part, was very confused, and after wiping the mud out of his eyes, muttered, "Girls are crazy."

The Subject was mostly forgotten for the next few years until a new boy, Aang, moved into the neighborhood:

"Why do you keep glaring at the new kid?" asked a 13 year old Sokka.

A 13 year old Zuko didn't respond except with a grunt and a shrug before returning to glaring at a slight oblivious Katara and an obviously crushing Aang.

"If you like her so much why don't you marry her?" sing-a-songed Sokka.

Zuko too a momentary break from his glaring to glare at Sokka, roll his eyes, grunt, then return to glaring at Aang.

The Subject was again dropped until Katara's freshman year:

"So are going to the dance with Zuko?" inquired a 13 year old Toph.

"Maybe"

"I still think you're gonna marry him."

"Oh shut up," Katara said as she blushed, "You're gonna marry Sokka."

"Maybe I will," Toph replied with a smirk.

It wasn't until Zuko and Katara's engagement party six years later that The Subject was brought up again:

"You know Zuko, I've always said you were gonna marry Katara," mocked Sokka.

"I know, I know," Zuko said as he rolled his eyes and turned back to his fiancé, "No need to be so smug."


	4. Manipulative

Day Four is upon us and with that comes the next installment of Zutara Week

Day Four is upon us and with that comes the next installment of Zutara Week. Try to contain your excitement.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Manipulative

Zuko didn't know what to do. Or rather he knew exactly what he need to do but he wasn't sure how. He had to get back into Katara's good graces. He knew he had been in them when they were trapped in that cave together but now that he had screwed that up he needed a new plan.

'Azula would lie and twist words and ideas to her advantage. If she didn't just threaten you and your friends. Uncle Iroh would use metaphors and you're confusion about said metaphors to make you forget why you were mad in the first place,' Zuko pinched the skin between his eyes to ward off the coming headache, 'But I can't do either of those things. I'm a bad liar and don't know any metaphors. But what do those two have in common?' The answer to that would come to him in the middle of the night: Manipulation…

So he put his plan into action in subtle ways. Make sure the fire is going in the morning and through the night. Patiently teach Aang firebending. Help her clean and do the dishes. Carry Toph around so she would hurt her burned feet. Help her brother break into the highest security prison in the Fire Nation and rescue her dad and friend. Any little thing that would help her notice that he wasn't such a bad guy.

And notice she did. She also forgave him and some day she would tell him so. But for now his attempts at manipulation were cute and sweet. Besides which Zuko wasn't the only one who could be manipulative.


	5. Mythology

Mythology

Welcome to Day Five!

Disclaimer: I do not not own nothing.

Mythology

The Painted Lady was already a myth back when Sozin was a boy. More recently the New Painted Lady's exploits have only added to that myth. Especially when those exploits include the Blue Spirit. Here's one of their tales:

_The Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit knew upon meeting for the first time, they knew instinctively who the other was and that they had to work together. _

"What are you doing!? And what are you wearing?!" Zuko angrily whispered upon discovering Katara about to sneak out and do something foolish.

"Didn't you see those villagers?! They're starving while the soldiers are getting fat off the crops they have been stealing," Katara replied in an anger whisper of her own, "And I would think even you could recognize the Painted Lady!"

"I'm coming with you,"

"You're what?! You can't come with me. You don't even have a mask anymore."

"I got a new one. Besides which you need me. You can't take all of those soldiers by yourself."

"Fine you can come with me but if you slow me down…"

Zuko rolled his eyes behind his mask, "I know I know you'll end me. Let's go."

_Upon entering the soldiers' keep, the pair moved perfectly in sync as though they had been working with each other forever and could read the other's mind. _

"You're standing on my foot," Zuko hissed.

"Well don't put your foot where I'm stepping," Katara hissed in reply.

Zuko rolled his eyes again but let it go instead he whispered, "What's the plan?"

"We steal back the food and give it to the villagers,"

"That's it?! What do we do about the soldiers? When they notice that their food is gone they're going to suspect the villagers and make things worse for them."

"All right then, Smarty-Pants. What's your plan?"

_Then in an impressive display of power, the two sent the soldiers packing and saved the village. _

"So this is your brilliant plan," Katara mocked, "We're going to leave them a note telling them to leave the village?!"

"No, we're going to leave them written orders to leave the village. It will work."

"I say it won't,"

"Wanna bet on that?"

"Fine! Loser does the other's chores for a week."

"Deal."

_When the soldier's left the villagers knew it could only be the work of the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady. And to this day have a celebration in their honor every year. _

"Hey Katara, why are you washing those dishes?" Sokka asked the next day, "I thought that was Zuko's j…"

"I don't want to talk about it Sokka," Katara muttered through gritted teeth.


	6. Stare

Stare

Day Six is upon us, which means there is only one day left of Zutara Week and so begins the beginning of the end.

Disclaimer: If I owned Avatar. We wouldn't even have to worry because Zutara would be cannon beyond any shadow of a doubt.

Stare

Zuko had to get married. It is as simple as that. But to whom? He wanted her to be someone he knew, which eliminated almost all of them considering he only knew about nine girls. Of those one was his sister and three were people he either didn't know well or knew as Lee (which would be in his mind starting out a relationship on a lie.)

He also didn't want someone who giggled all the time which meant that Ty Lee was out. Conversely he didn't want someone who didn't feel anything which eliminated Mai. He was also fairly certain that she still hated him from that whole Boiling Rock incident.

She also had to be someone with leadership skills. Suki had those leadership skills but she didn't have the royal blood which was also a requirement. Toph, who he loved like a little sister, was also eliminated by the royal blood requirement. Besides which Sokka would kill him if he asked (if Toph didn't do so first.)

Zuko sighed and put his face in his hands. Then he looked across the table at his passionate, waterbending friend, who happened to be the daughter of the chief of the South Pole, and hit himself in the forehead. The answer had been staring at him (literally and figuratively) the whole time. He groaned at his own stupidity and began making plans for necklace carving.


	7. Pinch

Pinch

Here's my entry for Day Seven.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even the idea for sky opals. They are Fandomme's brain child. I'm just borrowing them. I hope she doesn't mind.

Pinch

It wasn't beautiful. It wasn't romantic. It wasn't even daytime. It was 3 in the morning. It was in the middle of the greatest storm anyone in gang had ever seen. It was the night before the final invasion.

It wasn't jade. It wasn't pearl. It most definitely wasn't a sky opal. It was a small brown stone. But it was hand carved.

It wasn't the Avatar. It wasn't even a man who was welcome in his own home. It was the Avatar's firebending teacher. It was a man who was preparing to risk everything, to kill all of his remaining immediate family, to attack his own home, to help save the world, who proposed.

It wasn't a princess. It wasn't a queen. It wasn't even a woman from the Fire Nation. It was a waterbending master. It was a woman who had taught the Avatar and kept him save. It was a woman who kept their little family together, was an amazing healer and preparing to do anything to help end the war, who said yes.

It wasn't Romeo and Juliet. It wasn't Anthony and Cleopatra. It wasn't the greatest love story ever told. It was just a man and a woman who loved each other and whose union would result in much happiness. And it would work in a pinch.


End file.
